


You Happened.

by CristinaBlackthornKingson



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: 2016 US Presidential Election, Birth Control, Divorce, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Fatherhood, First Meetings, Gen, Love, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Mother-Son Relationship, Motherhood, Multi, Other, Parenthood, Politics, Post-Divorce, Protective Parents, Racism, Single Parents, Step-parents, True Love, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning, Weddings, Women's Rights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28634163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CristinaBlackthornKingson/pseuds/CristinaBlackthornKingson
Summary: The story of how Ellen and Leo met, fell in love, blended their families and more.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz & June Claremont-Diaz, Alex Claremont-Diaz & Liam, Alex Claremont-Diaz & Oscar Diaz, Ellen Claremont & Alex Claremont-Diaz, Ellen Claremont & June Claremont-Diaz, Ellen Claremont/Leo, Ellen Claremont/Oscar Diaz, June Claremont-Diaz & Oscar Diaz, Leo Claremont & Alex Claremont-Diaz, Leo Claremont & June Claremont-Diaz, Zahra Bankston & Ellen Claremont
Kudos: 10





	You Happened.

**Author's Note:**

> ***Tw***  
> Racism.  
> Misogyny.

When Ellen Claremont meets the love of her life, it is in the last place she expected, on a cold February afternoon in 2014, at a charity luncheon for Planned Parenthood. 

It’s only been a year and a few months since Ellen and Oscar divorced, the last thing on her mind these days is romance and dating, her main priorities are work and her kids, so when she finds herself seated next to a handsome gentleman around her age, with curling dark hair, intelligent hazel eyes, a neatly trimmed beard, and glasses, she does not expect to fall in love with him.

“Hello.” The man cheerfully greets her. “I’m Leo, Leo Miller, pleasure to meet you.” 

“Pleasure to meet you too, I’m Ellen, Ellen Claremont.” Ellen introduces herself, shaking Leo’s hand. 

“Oh you’re The Speaker of The House aren’t you? And one of Texas’ best known lawyers.” Leo asks in a tone of intrigue, his eyes wide with wonder. 

“Yes that’s me.” 

“I have to say I admire you, you’re exactly the kind of person and politician we need, I always see clips of you online, arguing your case in The Senate, I admire how you stand up for others, usually you don’t see privileged people like you or I fighting for the less privileged, you’re a real breathe of fresh air.” Leo tells her, making Ellen beam proudly, she is extremely proud of her work, people always told her she would never accomplish anything, yet here she is, a Senator and highly known and respected lawyer. 

“Thank you, I’m glad you think so. I know what it’s like to be one of the less privileged people in society, of course not to the extent people of color are, or LGBTQ+ people, or other minorities, but I grew up relatively poor as the only daughter of a single mother, back then it was still a pretty big stigma and taboo topic, especially here in bible belt Texas, I fought my way to the top and now I’m here I want to make sure everyone has the happiness and good life that I’m now privileged to have.” Ellen explains, thinking of how people have always looked down on Oscar because he’s Mexican, how people would act as if she were some kind of hero for marrying a man of color. And neither she nor Oscar want their kids to face any of the hardships their parents have had to face over the years.

Leo nods his agreement. 

“Absolutely, and I must say you really are extraordinary to be doing all this while also being a single mother to two kids, it can’t be easy.” Leo sympathizes, though he has no children of his own, he can’t imagine how difficult it is to juggle work and parenthood.

“Oh it’s not so hard now they’re a little more grown up, my oldest is 18 and my youngest is 15, they’re still my babies of course but they don’t need me as much as they did when they were little, and of course they have their dad too.” Ellen calmly explains. It’s definitely easier to manage a career and parenthood when your kids are in their mid and late teens, than it is when they’re toddlers and young kids, June was 8 when Ellen got elected to The Senate, and Alex was 5, so it was much harder back then. 

“Still it can’t be easy.” Leo notes. 

“It’s not, but it’s worth it. Enough about me though, what about you, what do you do?” Ellen asks curiously. 

“I work in the science field, invention mainly, specifically for women’s health, better birth control with less awful side affects, medication for things like PCOS, that sort of thing.” Leo explains, which immediately fascinates and intrigues Ellen, she’s met very few men who genuinely seem to care about women’s health.

“Really? Anything I would of heard of?” Ellen asks eagerly. 

“Nothing groundbreaking, not yet anyway. I mostly come up with patents and then work with others in the science and medical community to bring them to fruition.” Leo explains. 

He and Ellen spend the next hour talking, and by the end of the lunch it feels as though they know everything about each other. 

“I have to say I wasn’t expecting to meet someone so fascinating today.” Ellen admits to Leo, as they walk through the parking lot together. 

“Me neither, I certainly wasn’t expecting to meet my favoriet Senator.” Leo replies, which almost makes Ellen blush.

“Oh you flatter me, we should stay in touch, I’d love to hear more about your patents and inventions, maybe I could use my platform to help spread the word about them.” Ellen suggests, slipping a hand into her bag to pull out a card with her number on it, that she usually gives to prospective clients. 

“Thank you, that’s a very kind offer. I’m actually working on something at the minute, maybe we could meet for lunch again next week and discuss it?” Leo suggests. 

“That sounds lovely, here, here’s my number, give me a call or a text anytime and we can set up a time and day for lunch next week.” Ellen tells him, handing her card over. Leo grins and nods. 

“Alright, pleasure meeting you Ms. Claremont.” He says, holding his hand out for her to shake. 

“Oh please just call me Ellen, and likewise, Mr. Miller.” Leo chuckles. 

“If I call you by your first name then you can call me by my first name.” 

“Alright, well, see you next week, Leo.”

“See you next week, Ellen.” 

Over the course of the next few months, Ellen finds herself starting to fall for Leo, he is so kind, compassionate, charming and many other things. She doesn’t doubt for a second they would be happy together, but it’s hardly been two years since her divorce, and Leo is the first man she’s even been slightly interested in since she and Oscar split up. For so long she thought she and Oscar were going to be together for the rest of their lives, and when that didn’t happen, Ellen thought she would never find love again. 

However, 3 months after meeting Leo, he officially asks Ellen out, and she simply can’t say no.

He had asked her out officially, over coffee, on one of their regular weekly meet ups. Ellen can’t say it was a surprise, she knows when a man is flirting with her and interested in her, but she’s so weary of loving again, she’s afraid of romance getting in the way of her career and being a mom.

“Look, Leo.” Ellen softly begins, laying a hand over his, moments after agreeing to go on a date with him. “I really like you, and I really want this relationship to work out, but I just want to make it clear right here and now that my kids will always come first to me no matter what, they are the most important people in my life and I will always be their mom first and foremost, and Oscar will always be their dad, and be in our lives, you understand that right?” Leo smiles softly and lays his free hand over Ellen’s. 

“Of course I do, I understand and respect your boundaries, I’m not jealous or weary of Oscar, he’s your kids dad of course he’s always going to be a big part of your life, and he seems like a really nice and genuine guy. I’m not trying to replace him, if and when I meet your kids I hope they’ll like me, but I’m not their dad and that’s fine.” Leo softly assures Ellen, stroking her hand with his thumb.

“You’re a good man, Leo, I’m so glad I met you.” 

After four months of dating, Ellen feels like it’s an appropriate time to introduce Leo and the kids. So after clearing it with Leo, Ellen sits June and Alex down one day, to talk with them. 

“So.” Ellen begins, sitting across from her kids. “You know I’ve been seeing someone for a while now, he’s wonderful and our relationship is wonderful. I would love for the three of you to meet, if you two are comfortable with that.” 

“Yes!” June exclaims. “Duh of course we want to meet him! I haven’t seen you as happy as you’ve been since you met him, ever!” June is so glad her mom has found happiness and love again, she really deserves it. 

“Well I’m glad you’re excited to meet him, Bug. Alex, what about you? You okay with this?” Ellen gently asks, looking at her son, who is sitting with his arms crossed, his eyes cast downward as he slumps on the sofa next to June. Alex shrugs. 

“I’m sure he’s a nice guy or whatever but I dunno if I want to meet him, it’s not like you guys are married or anything, he’s never gonna replace dad.” This hits Ellen with a pang of guilt. Alex took the divorce pretty hard, he misses having his dad around 24/7 and is constantly worried that one of his parents will try to replace the other. 

Ellen leans forward and places a hand on her son’s knee. 

“Sugar, I know this is confusing and a little scary for you. I know how badly the divorce affected you and that you’re still processing it all. You don’t have to meet Leo if you don’t want, I would never force you to do something like that, if you’re not comfortable meeting him then that’s perfectly fine, but I think you’ll like him if you give him a chance. And no matter what, even if I end up marrying Leo, he will never replace your dad, nobody will or can, in a million years. I don’t love your dad like I thought I did, but I don’t hate him and even if I did I would never try to replace him, okay?” 

Alex nods. 

“Can I have some time to think about it?” He quietly asks, looking up to meet his mother’s gaze. 

“Of course honey, take all the time you need.” 

Alex takes a few days to consider everything, makes a pros and cons list, talks to June, talks to his dad, and does endless hours of research on meeting a potential step-parent. After 3 days he finally decides that he wants to meet Leo, he’s still weary of the guy but he wants to make his mom happy, and see if this guy is really worth her love, not just anyone deserves to be loved by his amazing mom. 

A week later, Alex, June, Leo and Ellen meet up at a small nearby restaurant for lunch, everyone a nervous wreck. 

When Ellen and the kids arrive, Leo is already waiting, so after a quick greeting, Ellen sets to work on introducing them all. 

“Leo this is my daughter June, and my son, Alex. June, Alex, this is my boyfriend, Leo.” Ellen calmly introduces them, hoping this is going to go well. 

“Hi!” June gleefully says, holding her out for Leo to shake. 

“Hello June, nice to finally meet you.” Leo warmly replies, shaking her hand. He then turns to Alex, who has his hands in his pockets and is looking pretty uncomfortable. 

“Hello Alex.” Leo says in a calm and warm tone. “I’ve heard a lot about you, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Yeah, nice to meet you too.” Alex mumbles, barely making eye contact with Leo.

“So I’ve heard a lot about both of you, from your mom, but I’d love to hear about you first hand. June you’re in your first year of college, right, how’s that going?” Leo asks, as they all take their seats. 

“Great!” June exclaims. “I love journalism, everything we learn is so interesting, the professors are pretty nice and my classmates are nice too. I just can’t wait to actually get to write reports and stuff.” 

“I’m sure you’ll be absolutely wonderful, you’ve clearly got the passion and love for it, that’s the main thing.” 

“Yep, that’s what everyone says.” June agrees. Leo then turns his gaze to Alex, who is still refusing to make eye contact. 

“What about you Alex? Any idea what you want to do after school?” Leo gently asks. 

“I’m going to study Government in college, I want to be a Senator like mom and dad.” He quietly says, though not diving into the fact that he plans to do so before 30.

“Wow that’s quiet a goal, good for you! Do you have any idea what college you want to go to?” Leo asks. Alex shrugs. 

“I dunno, probably University of Texas.” 

“That’s a great place, I went there myself, I’m sure you’ll be very happy there.” 

Over the course of the meal, Alex slowly starts to warm up to Leo, as he asks about he and June’s interests and hobbies and other things, and listens and gives them his full attention, not dismissing them like a lot of adults do. Alex is steal weary of Leo though, and afraid that he’s going to replace Oscar. 

“You know.” Alex says, after Leo offers to help June learn to drive. “You’re never gonna replace our dad, you know that right?” 

“Alexander!” Ellen scolds, blood rushing to her cheeks with shame and embarrassment. Leo has been nothing but kind and good to Alex since he met him, not stepped a foot out of line, and now Alex comes out with this?!

"It’s alright.” Leo calmly says. “I understand this is a lot for you Alex, a lot for you to take in and process. It’s okay that you feel weary of me, you’ve only known me an hour or so, it will take you time to build up trust with me, that’s okay, I understand that. I promise I’m not trying to replace your dad, I would never want to do that.” 

_‘Well’_ Alex thinks to himself. _‘Maybe he’s not so bad after all.’_

A few days after that, June and Alex meet up with their dad for lunch, and of course one of the main topics is Leo. 

“So.” Oscar carefully begins. “What do you guys think of your mom’s new boyfriend, Leo, right?” Oscar can’t deny that it feels odd to see Ellen move on, he’s happy for her but a part of him still loves her, and always will, she’s the mother of his children he can’t just stop loving her completely. However his main concern is making sure June and Alex are happy and comfortable and like this new guy, if they’re happy then so is he.

“Yeah, he’s great!” June enthusiastically replies. “He’s so cool and really nice, he listens to us and seems genuinely interested in what we have to say, and he makes mom happy, most importantly.” 

“That’s great CJ, I’m glad you like him. Alex, _mijo_ , what about you? What do you think of him?” Oscar asks, looking to Alex. Alex shrugs. 

“He’s okay, he’s no you though, dad.” 

Oscar chuckles and pats his son on the back. 

“That’s because he’s not meant to be me, _mijo_ , he’s a totally different person. He sounds like a great guy, Alex. You should give him a chance, especially if he makes your mom so happy.” 

“Yeah I guess, but I’ll never let him replace you dad, you’re my dad, not him.” Alex says, looking up at his dad. Oscar reaches out and places his hand over Alex’s. 

“That will never happen Alex, no matter what. Leo may end up as your step-dad, but I’m always going to be your dad, just like if I ever re-marry, your mom is still going to be your mom, no one is going to replace anyone, kid. I’ll be embarrassing you with terrible dad jokes until the day I die.” this gets a laugh out of Alex. 

“I love you dad.” 

“I love you too _mjio_.” 

Ellen and Leo’s relationship moves fast, from their first meeting they were both smitten, and from their first date, they knew it was love and they were forever. A year into their relationship Leo has moved in with Ellen and the kids. June still adores him and Alex has totally warmed up to him now and trusts that he isn’t going to try and replace Oscar. 

One day, on the day of Ellen and Leo’s second anniversary, in 2016, while Ellen is out at work, Leo approaches Alex and June with some very important information. 

“Hey kids, got a minute to talk?” Leo asks, walking into the living room where June and Alex are sitting together, talking quietly. 

“Sure!” June replies. 

“So, you know how much I love your mom and how much she means to me. She’s the best thing to ever happen to me and I would be so lost without her, I want to propose to her, and it would mean a lot to me if I had both of your blessings.” 

“Oh my god! Of course!” June happily exclaims. “You make mom so happy of course you should ask her to marry you!” 

“I agree.” Alex says, nodding his approval. “I was kind of a dick to you when you first came into our lives, but you stuck around and put up with me, shows you’re a good guy, in my opinion.” Leo chuckles and shakes his head. 

“No you weren’t, you were scared and unsure, which was completely natural. Also, I do have another question, this one is specifically for you Alex.” Leo says, earning a surprised look from Alex, who can’t think of anything Leo would want to ask him specifically. 

“What is it?” Alex asks, leaning forward in anticipation. 

“If your mom says yes, will you be my best man, at the wedding?” 

It’s not often that Alex is lost for words, but right now is one of those rare times. He’s so shocked, he has no idea what to say or how to react. 

It’s not until June shoves him, that he breaks out his shock. 

“I... are you sure?” Alex asks. Leo is bound to have friends or family he would rather ask to be his best man, he can’t really want his girlfriend’s 17 year old son as his best man?

“Of course I am, there’s absolutely no pressure to say yes, of course, but I would love it if you did agree.” Leo tells him. 

“Well... yeah of course I’ll be your best man, thank you for asking! I love you.” Leo smiles brightly and pats Alex on the back. 

“Love you too kid.” 

That evening, a few hours before Ellen is due to arrive home from work, June and Alex head out, so Leo can organize and arrange the place for his proposal. 

As soon as the kids leave he sets to work laying out candles, flower petals balloons and bouquets of Ellen’s favoriet flowers. 

Then about 10 minutes before Ellen is meant to get home, Leo grabs the ring he bought, and steps out into the kitchen, so Ellen won’t see him when she comes in. 

When Ellen arrives home from work 15 minutes later, she has no idea what waits for her inside the front door, she’s had a long and difficult day and is looking forward to having dinner with Leo and the kids, and then getting an early night before she has to get up early and start working on paper work, with Zahra’s help.

With a heavy sigh at the thought of the day’s events, Ellen unlocks the front door and steps inside, stopping dead in her tracks when she sees the flower petals, candles, bouquets of flowers and the balloons. It doesn’t occur to her for one second, that Leo is going to propose, she never had him down as the type to make a big romantic gesture like this.

“What in the...?” Ellen trails off, shutting the door behind her and walking further into the room. “Leo, what are you up to?” 

Just then Leo steps out into the living room, the ring hidden behind his back.

“Happy anniversary.” Leo softly says, slipping the ring into his back pocket and making his way over to Ellen’s side. 

“Oh god that’s right! I swear I didn’t forget, it just wasn’t at the front of my mind, with work being so busy and everything, oh god Leo I’m so sorry.” Ellen apologies, feeling horrible and guilty for almost forgetting their anniversary. 

“It’s alright no need to be sorry, I do want to ask you something though.” Leo says, trying not to let his nerves get the best of him. 

“Of course, anything.” 

Leo slips the ring out of his back pocket, then lowers himself onto one knee. Ellen’s eyes widen with disbelief. 

“Ellen, my radiant orchid, love of my life, will you marry me?” 

“Of course.” Ellen breaths. “Yes of course I will!” Leo beams up at her and slips the ring onto her finger, before she pulls him up into a kiss. 

“I love you, I love you so much.” Ellen murmurs against his lips. Leo hms in agreement and presses a kiss to her cheek, as she lays her head on his shoulder. 

“I love you too, more than words could ever express.” 

When Alex and June find out later that evening when they come home, they are absolutely thrilled, and can hardly wait to officially welcome Leo into the family. 

The next day, Ellen and Zahra are sitting in Ellen’s home office, working on some paperwork, when Zahra just so happens to glance up from her work and notice the silver band with a glinting sapphire in the middle, on Ellen’s ring finger. She knows it’s not the engagement ring Oscar gave her all those years ago, that one was far simpler and Ellen hasn’t worn it since the divorce. So that can only mean one thing. 

“Ellen.” Zahra says, sitting up straight and setting her pen down. “Did Leo propose?” 

Ellen gives Zahra a confused look, then glances down at her hand, where Zahra’s gaze is drawn, and it all becomes clear to her. 

“Yes, he did, just last night. It was lovely, and such a surprise, he laid out candles, petals, balloons, everything, and surprised me when I came home from work.” Ellen tells her in a joyful tone, gazing at her ring and feeling so full of love. 

“Congratulations, that’s wonderful! Have you made any plans for the wedding yet?” Zahra eagerly asks. Ellen shakes her head. 

“No not yet, it’s too early, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’m engaged again. Though there is one thing I know for certain.” Ellen tells her. 

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Zahra asks. 

“I want you to be my bridesmaid.” Zahra laughs and shakes her head. 

“Yeah right, good one.” She says, not believing that Ellen legitimately wants her to be her bridesmaid. 

“I’m serious Z, you’re my best and closest friend. I’ve known you since you were fresh out of college, you’ve been by my side through thick and thin, you’re family to me. You and June are my favoriet women in this world, I don’t want anyone else by my side for this, other than my best friend and my daughter.” 

Zahra is touched, she of course has always known that Ellen is very fond of her and sees her as a close friend, she herself sees Ellen as her best friend, and is forever grateful and indebted to her for giving her such an amazing job, right out of college. However she never thought she would ask her to be her bridesmaid, she doesn’t know why, the thought just never occurred to her.

"Well.” Zahra says, holding back tears. “I am pretty amazing when it comes to organizing things and keeping everyone calm and everything under control, which is like half of what wedding planning is.” Ellen grins. 

“Exactly. So you’re in, you’ll be my bridesmaid?” 

“As if I’d say no to my future President.” 

Over the next few weeks, Ellen starts the search for her wedding dress. You’d think it would be easy, seeing as she’s already done this once, she should know what she likes and doesn’t like, but she was in her mid twenties when she married Oscar, now she’s in her early fifties, her tastes have changed significantly. 

June being the fashion icon she is, loves helping her mom search for the perfect dress. Zahra is eager to help out too, always pointing out which shades of white suit Ellen, immediately pointing out ones that make her seem washed out and pale, and praising ones that bring out the darker strands of her blonde hair, and make her green eyes sparkle.

Alex on the other hand, hates dress shopping. If it were up to him he would be at home studying, but his mom and June insisted he needed a break from studying, so they dragged him dress shopping with them, not even letting him bring his notes to read over in the car. 

Sitting here in a wedding dress boutique, on a cream white sofa, waiting for his mom to pick out what feels like the millionth dress to try on, is Alex’s personal hell.

With nothing else to do, Alex switches his phones camera to face him, snaps a quick selfie, then sends it to Liam, with the caption _**‘If I never ever see another wedding dress it’ll be too soon, save. me.’**_

“What about this one mom?” June suggests, holding up an off the shoulder, long white ballgown style dress, with lace sleeves.

“It is beautiful, if I could have afforded it when I was younger I would have bought in a heartbeat, but it’s not something I’d wear now I’m older.” Ellen sighs, looking the dress over and thinking how much her 23 year old self would have adored getting married in this beautiful dress. 

“Why don’t you just wear the dress you had when you married dad?” Alex suggests, earning a horrified look from June and an eye roll from Zahra. 

“Alex!” June hisses, unable to believe her brother just asked such a stupid question. 

“What? I genuinely want to know, why spend money on a wedding dress when you already have one at home?” Alex asks in an exasperated tone, not understanding what’s wrong with the dress his mom already has.

“Boys.” Zahra scoffs, folding her arms over her chest. June nods in agreement. 

“Well, for one.” Ellen begins in a more gentle and calm tone, than June had used. “It’s been almost 30 years since I wore that dress, and in that time I’ve had two babies, my body is not the same as it was when I was 23, I wouldn’t fit into my dress now at all. Secondly it’s not my style anymore, it’s not in style at all anymore, fashion is very different now from what it was in the early nineties, when I married your dad. And thirdly, I would feel like I’m jinxing my marriage already, since your dad and I didn’t work out in the end.” 

“Can’t argue with that logic.” 

Ellen and Leo spend months planning their wedding, and in that time frame Ellen never settles on a dress, she tries on what feels like hundreds, but never finds _the_ one. 

It’s only now after 5 months of planning and dress shopping, that Ellen realizes she doesn’t want a big traditional wedding, like she had the first time around. She doesn’t want to spend hours getting ready the day of her wedding, spending a fortune on hair and makeup, the dress, decorations, food, invitations and more. There are many, many better ways to invest her money. She would be happy with a simple registry office ceremony, with only very close friends and family there, a simple and small celebration afterward to end it all off.

When Ellen realizes this, she talks to Leo about it, conscious of the fact that this is his first wedding so he may in fact want to go all out. However when Ellen talks to him, Leo agrees that there’s no need for a big expensive wedding, what matters to him is not the wedding itself, rather marrying Ellen. 

So with Leo’s approval on a smaller wedding, when Zahra comes around 2 days later to help with wedding planning, Ellen fills her in on the new plan. 

“So does this mean you’re not going to look for a dress anymore?” Zahra asks, after Ellen gives her the rundown. 

“No, I still want to wear something new and special, but it doesn’t have to be a traditional white wedding gown, in fact I’d rather it wasn’t. There’s lots of beautiful dresses out there for second weddings or people who just prefer the non traditional look, it shouldn't be hard to find.” Ellen tells her, feeling much less stressed about finding a dress, now she’s finally listened to her heart.

The next day Ellen, Zahra and June go looking for a dress again, this time (much to his relief) leaving Alex to help Leo write his vows. 

After searching in a few shops, a dress finally catches Ellen’s eye, in a regular old clothes shop, nothing high end or fancy. 

The dress is emerald green, and tea length, with 3/4 length sleeves. It’s nothing special, but it immediately stands out to Ellen, and she knows then and there that it’s _the_ dress. 

Twenty minutes later, the dress is hers, and after almost 6 months of searching, Ellen has finally found _the_ dress.

The wedding day is on them before they know it. Thankfully the weather is good, warm but not too warm, with a nice breeze and low humidity levels. 

Zahra and June help Ellen get ready, June doing her mom’s hair and makeup. An elegant yet simple chignon for the hairstyle, and light and natural looking makeup to top it all off. Ellen looks absolutely radiant. 

Leo meanwhile, looks roguishly handsome in his royal blue tuxedo, his dark curling hair falling into his eyes, behind his glasses, and his beard neatly trimmed and styled. 

They’ve decided to forgo the tradition of not seeing eachother the night before the wedding, though they did get ready in separate rooms, agreeing to then meet in the living room before driving to the registry office together. 

When Ellen steps out into the living room once she’s finished getting ready, Leo is already there, fidgeting nervously with his hands. He looks up when he hears footsteps enter the room, and his jaw drops when he sees Ellen.

“I...” Leo trails off, as Ellen comes closer to him. “You... you are simply radiant, my love, a goddess.” Ellen can’t help but flush, and laugh lightly. 

“You can be very charming you know, and you don’t look half bad yourself. Ready to become Mr. Claremont?” Early on in the wedding planning process, Ellen had made it clear she wasn’t going to change her last name, which was fine with Leo. He then proposed that he change his last name to hers. The offer surprised Ellen, but she loved the idea and immediately agreed.

Leo leans in and kisses her cheek. 

“I can hardly wait.” 

The wedding goes by in a blur, just like Ellen expected. Leo’s vows bring tears to her eyes, and she could not be more happy to be marrying this wonderful, amazing man. 

Within 15 minutes it’s all over and they are officially married. 

“Congratulations!!” June is the first to congratulate them almost immediately after the ceremony is over, hugging her mother tightly. 

“Thank you baby girl.” Ellen softly says, holding her daughter tight and close, and pressing a kiss to her cheek. 

When June pulls back from her embrace with her mother, she turns to Leo and grins brightly at him. 

“Welcome to the family!” 

Just two months after Ellen and Leo get married, election day is upon them. It is without a doubt the most nerve wracking day and night of Ellen’s life. She so badly wants to win this election so she can implement real changes to the country, make it a safe and happy place for everyone, not just straight, white, cis, rich men. 

On the day of the election, Ellen is practically glued to her phone and the news. Since announcing that she was running for President at the start of the year, and since it became just her and Donald Trump in the running, Ellen has received a slew of online hatred, mostly from Trump supporters/Republicans, and it’s only gotten worse now it’s election day.

Ellen’s a strong woman, she can handle people saying she’s unfit to be President because she’s a woman, or people calling her a slut or a whore for being remarried, she can deal with being told she’s a horrible mother because she got a divorce, and Oscar should have full custody of the kids. But what she will not stand for, is people going after her kids. Which is exactly what’s started to happen.

Scrolling through twitter just hours before the polls close, Ellen comes across a series of tweets mentioning June and Alex.

**_‘Oh my god would this bitch ever shut the fuck up?? You don’t need birth control unless you’re some sort of slut that sleeps around with every guy she meets, which frankly this bitch probably does_**.’ - @Fuckfeminsim tweets in reply to an article June posted about the need for free and easy access to birth control. 

****

**_‘Alex Claremont-Diaz is pretty cute, but he’d be a lot cuter if he looked more like his mom and less like his dad, if you know what I’m saying. White boys ftw.’ - @StaceyJohnson._ **

Upon reading these disgusting tweets, Ellen is filled with both a fierce outrage and a fierce instinct to protect her children and stand up for them. Just who the fuck do these people think they are? 

“Oh hell no.” Ellen growls, clicking on the first tweet, and starting to type out the first thing that comes to mind. 

“Yeah I agree hell no, I am not letting you reply to those tweets.” Zahra’s voice comes from behind Ellen, and before Ellen react, Zahra plucks her phone out of her hands. “You can have it back when the election is called, and when you calm down and think for a minute.” 

“Zahra you saw those awful tweets yourself, I have to stand up for my kids!” Ellen protests. 

“I did see them, and I understand why you’re so angry, I’m angry too. Those Trump loving fuckers have been bombarding me with racist and misogynistic tweets too, but retaliating in the heat of the moment isn’t a good idea when you’re in the public eye, you might say something you’ll later come to regret. Write your responses to these tweets in the notes section of your phone, then delete them. That’s what I do, gets it out of my system, though I would still love to punch that cheeto looking motherfucker right in his orange face.” This gets a laugh out of Ellen.

“You’re right Zahra, much as I would love to go full mama bear on these assholes, I know I shouldn’t.” Ellen admits with a sigh. 

“I’m always right.” 

The day and night seems to drag on forever, Ellen feels like they’ll never call the election.

They all watch nervously as each states lights up blue or red, on the TV, until finally at 2:35 A.M. the last state lights up blue, a magnificent, calming and hopeful blue. 

“Holy fuck you did it mom!! You did it!!” Alex exclaims, staring at the TV in disbelief. 

“No honey, _we_ did it, we fucking won!” Ellen corrects him, her tone full of joy and delight. 

“Damn right we did, beat that orange motherfucker by a long shot and now he can go back to his shitty reality TV shows!” Zahra exclaims in delight. 

“I couldn’t have done it without any of you.” Ellen tells them, looking around at her friends and family, hardly able believe that together they did it, they won Ellen the Presidency. 

“I always knew you would win mom, people would be out of their fucking minds to elect cheeto man and not you.” Alex says, hugging his mom tightly. 

“Yeah me too, you’re gonna be the best President this country has ever seen!” June adds, joining the hug, feeling so immensely proud of her amazing mom.

Ellen puts her arms around her kids and holds them tight, pressing a kiss to the top of their heads. 

“Thank you my babies, I couldn’t have done it without you.” 

Two months later on a cold and frosty January day, The Claremont-Diaz’s pull up to The White House, ready for inauguration day.

“Bye I’m going to talk to Michelle and Barrack, they’re so fucking cool!” Alex declares, unbuckling his seat belt and practically leaping out of the car the minute it comes to a stop. They had met The Obama's a few weeks ago, they had very graciously and kindly invited them to dinner at The White House to congratulate Ellen on her victory, and give them a tour of their future home. 

“And I’m gonna go talk to Sasha and Malia, I can’t fucking believe I’m friends with the Obama girls!” June excitedly tells them, promptly unbuckling herself and climbing out of the car, leaving just Leo and Ellen. 

They step out onto the icy pavement, linking hands and just taking a minute to observe their surroundings and let it sink in that this is going to be their home for at least the next 4 years. 

“You ready to change the world?” Leo quietly asks Ellen, slipping his free arm around her waist. 

“You bet your ass I am.” 


End file.
